Sinless
by Annie Sparklecakes
Summary: Nights, in Sakura's world, are meant for staying awake and hoping he doesn't find her. But running away only works for so long. SasuSaku. AU.
1. Chapter 1

** Sinless  
**_Chapter One_

"Why do you drive this crapmobile?" Sakura complained, clambering up into the decade-old minivan. Sasuke and Naruto had bought it at a used-car lot a year ago, and it smelled like feet. Sakura fished out a tiny bottle of perfume from her purse and sprayed it around her. It barely helped.

"You're a little bitch when you're tired," Sasuke said, hitting the buttons to roll down their windows and air out the car.

"You're _always _a little bitch," Sakura said. "So we're even." She yawned, and Sasuke handed her his half-empty, still-hot cup of coffee. She took a grateful sip, then made a face.

"Gross," she said. "I hate black coffee."

"It'll keep you up," Sasuke said.

Sakura took another small sip and shuddered. "If you say so." She yawned again, blinking blearily at the clock. It was nearly ten. Sasuke was late; his stupid van had probably broken down again.

"Shouldn't you be used to being up at this time by now?" Sasuke asked, stopping at a red light and glancing at Sakura. She was curled up in the passenger seat, legs folded beneath her, cheek resting against her seatbelt.

"I missed my afternoon nap today," she said. Sasuke had to fight a smile at that. She sounded so _juvenile_. "It's not funny," she said, reading his expression easily.

"I know," he said. "Sorry."

"It's okay." She was slurring her words now, and still fighting her desire to sleep. "Talk to me. Keep me awake."

"I don't talk," Sasuke said flatly. Instead, he flipped on the stereo, turning the volume up. His radio didn't work, but he had a CD Sakura had made sitting in the changer. He snuck a glance at her wrist, leaning against her door. "Your corsage is wilting."

"Because I've been wearing it for two hours, waiting for my prom date," Sakura shot back.

Sasuke frowned. "I'm not your prom date," he said. "We're not even going to prom."

"It's prom night, you bought me a corsage, and I'm with you," she said. "It's close enough. Just not as stupid."

Sasuke had to agree, though he wasn't quite sure why Sakura had skipped their senior prom. She usually took any chance to stay up at a party. Better than staying up alone, Sasuke supposed.

Sakura reached out to turn up the volume. "She makes me feel like shit," Sakura sang softly, "But I can't get over it, because she's everything I ask for." Her voice wavered a bit, and she was a bit off-key, but she had a sweet voice. It was cozy, sitting with her, listening to her sing, in the middle of the night as they drove through the nearly-empty streets of Konoha.

"You're skipping lyrics," Sasuke said.

"Everything I ask for, and just a little bit more," Sakura continued, raising her voice. Sasuke shook his head, amused. "Everything I ask for, and so much more." Her voice broke on the last word as she yawned widely, once again, and she reached, irritably, for Sasuke's coffee.

He stopped her. "Why don't you take a nap?" he suggested. "I'll wake you up when we get to Gaara's."

Sakura just stared at him. "No _way."_

Sasuke shrugged, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. "Why not? There's no bed, so there aren't any…" He hesitated, searching for the right word. "Monsters," he finally said. The word didn't sound right for the terror it caused Sakura.

She didn't refuse immediately, as Sasuke had been expecting. She must have been _really _tired.

"Only for an hour," Sasuke said.

She was silent for a moment, staring at his profile. He could see her blank, calculating expression out of the corner of his eye. Finally she sighed, eyes fluttering shut. "Okay."

"Okay."

"Wake me when we get there."

He nodded. "I will."

"And—don't leave me alone, okay?"

She sounded so vulnerable, like a five-year-old afraid of the dark.

Sasuke nodded again.

"I'll be right here."

-x-

_She was six again, back in her bedroom. Even though she _told _her parents every day about the monster, they didn't listen, and whenever she finally fell asleep on the couch – despite hours of struggling to stay awake – Daddy carried her to her room._

_Too scared to leave her room, for fear of the hands that reached out to grab her from the shadows under her bed, Sakura instead pulled her stuffed animals around her, forming a sort of protective circle around her. Maybe he wouldn't know she was there._

_She could barely keep her eyes open, and no sooner had Sakura pulled her favorite stuffed green frog, Gambit, to her chest for comfort, than she was asleep again._

-x-

Sasuke pulled into a gas station and glanced at Sakura. She was sleeping peacefully, her face pale and drawn with exhaustion. He could wake her, but she looked comfortable. He wouldn't be long, and he'd be right outside the door.

He turned off the car and unlocked his door. With one last look at her, he stepped out.

Sakura shuddered and turned her head so she was facing her window.

-x-

"_Sakura…"_

_A cool breeze rippled over her, and Sakura tightened her hold on Gambit – but he wasn't in her arms. She felt around for him, still caught in the space between dreams and reality – when she heard it._

_A chuckle._

_Sakura's eyes snapped open before she could mentally prepare herself for what she might find. There was a flash of black in the corner of her eye, disappearing over the side of her bed, and she gasped, shooting up and scuttling backwards to press herself against the wall._

_Gambit was in her lap, and she scooped him up, burying her head into his plushy stomach to stifle her dry sobs. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, trying to calm her pulse._

It's okay, _she told herself. It was already morning. He couldn't get her now. She was safe._

_She opened her eyes._

_The sunlight streamed in through her windows, casting rays of light over her green and white comforter, over her legs, and over her stuffed animals—_

_Sakura paused, eyes widening._

_Stuffing floated around her room. Her stuffed animals – her bears, her bunnies, her dogs, _all _of them – were beheaded and dismembered. The heads were lined up in a grinning row at the foot of her bed, and limbs littered the floor around her. All except for Gambit, who still sat in her lap, though one of his arms was partially ripped off._

_Sakura began to scream, the message clear to her._

_She would have been next._

-x-

Sakura woke up shrieking. She opened her eyes for only a moment, long enough to see that it was dark out and she was alone, then closed them again, covering her ears and hoping he _wouldn't come_.

A breeze ruffled her hair, and her pulse quickened, the memory of her dream – of the most terrifying experience of her life – hitting her full force.

"Sakura. Sakura!"

A hand on her shoulder pulled her around, and Sakura's screams died in her throat when her eyes flew open to see Sasuke, staring down at her, looking alarmed.

"Sasuke—" She gulped in air, rubbing at her sore throat. "What happened?"

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder, at the middle-aged woman at the next pump over, gaping at them. He slid into his seat, inserted the key, and switched the car on, pulling out of the gas station and down the street to a parking lot in a plaza before he spoke.

"You were screaming," he said slowly. "You had a bad dream."

Sakura glanced at the clock. Midnight. They still hadn't even hit Suna.

"You left me," she realized. "You said you wouldn't!"

"I didn't!" he said. He was pale, and when he reached toward her, his fingers shook. Sakura held her breath as Sasuke fingered a strand of her hair, looking disturbed. Soon, she learned why. "Sakura, your hair…"

Sakura pulled back, baffled. Then she reached up, flipping down her visor, and stared at her reflection.

When she was six, that day she had woken up to find her stuffed animals slashed and ripped apart, Sakura's hair had still been short, chopped just past her chin. She had grown it after that.

When she had fallen asleep, her hair had swept down to her elbows. Now it was all gone, all messily hacked off. Locks littered the floor and seats of Sasuke's car, individual strands floating around about them as they breathed.

Feeling nauseous, Sakura examined the way her hair was cut, choppy and uneven. As if it had been slashed off without care – as if whoever had cut it didn't care what they snipped.

Sakura tugged at her hair, the implications settling in, and tried hard to keep breathing.

"He was here," she whispered. Her gaze snapped to Sasuke. His face was cast in shadow; she couldn't read his expression. "Oh God, Sasuke, _he was here."_

"Sakura, calm down," he said, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Her breathing was becoming shallow and too rapid to be healthy. "It's okay. He's gone." He began sweeping Sakura's hair into his empty coffee cup. Best to get rid of it before she could look to closely at the way the tips of some of the wisps were singed. He was surprised she hadn't smelled it.

His phone rang suddenly, and Sakura jumped. Sasuke flipped it open with a glance at the Caller ID and snapped, "What?"

"_Oh, sorry, did I interrupt something?" _

"What do you want, Naruto?" Sasuke growled, glancing at Sakura. She was rubbing the petals of the cherry blossoms on her corsage between her fingers. She had laughed when he handed it to her two days ago. _So cheesy, Sasuke-kun_, she had teased.

"_Ooh, things are getting _serious_," _Naruto laughed. Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. Naruto didn't know the half of it. _"Just wanted to know if you reached Gaara's place yet."_

"No." Sasuke turned away from Sakura and lowered his voice. "Something happened."

Naruto was silent. Sasuke could hear the thumping music faintly in the background, and he guessed Naruto was outside. For a moment, he wished he had pressed Sakura to go to the prom. Then, at least, she wouldn't have fallen asleep to her biggest nightmare.

"_Is Sakura-chan okay?" _he asked finally. _"Give her the phone. I want to talk to her."_

Sasuke pulled the phone away. "Sakura," he said, turning back to her, "Naruto wants to talk to you."

She held out her hand for the phone, and pressed it hard to her ear, letting Naruto's too-loud voice fill the silence of the dark van. With one last, careful look at her, Sasuke pulled the van out of the parking lot, continuing on their way to Suna.

"I'm fine," Sakura was saying. She paused to let Naruto speak. "No… no… he was getting gas," Sakura said, and Sasuke felt a prickle of guilt. "Don't worry," she said, and Sasuke saw, out of the corner of his eye, that she was looking at him, even though she was still talking to Naruto. "Twenty minutes, maybe? … Yeah, I'll tell him. okay. Okay. Bye."

With a sigh, she pressed the End button and dropped the phone into her lap.

"It's okay," she said suddenly, before Sasuke could speak. Her visor was still down, and she examined her reflection critically. "I think short hair suits me. what do you think?"

He could tell by the way she was looking at him that she needed this, needed him to confirm that everything was normal. Safe.

"It looks great," he said.

Sakura smiled shakily, then leaned forward to flip the stereo back on. She flipped back to The Maine and cleared her throat.

"Oh, she makes me feel like shit," she sang.

_It's always something._

"But I can't get over it," she went on, skipping lyrics, as usual.

_She thinks it's nothing._

As Sakura continued to sing, Sasuke stared out at the empty street before them, wondering just what they were going to do.

* * *

Yeah, I don't know. I've never written anything remotely horrific before, so we'll see how this goes. It might be a bit confusing right now, but hopefully everything will start to make sense soon.

**Blanket disclaimer: **I own nothing someone else does. And I am very sorry for completely butchering the meaning behind The Maine's _Everything I Ask For. _I promise I actually know what they're trying to say, and I know it's not what I said and, God, this makes no sense, does it?


	2. Chapter 2

**Sinless**  
_Chapter Two_

"Sasuke," Sakura said, sounding very far away. "Wake up."

Sasuke blinked, then straightened. "I wasn't sleeping," he said, trying not to slur his words together. He rubbed his eyes, then glanced at the clock on the mantle above the fireplace. It was nearly three in the morning. He wasn't used to staying up late. The latest he ever slept was two, and even that was rare. He liked to wake up early.

Sakura, sitting on the couch beside him, smiled. "Go to bed, Sasuke. Gaara will keep me company."

Gaara was sitting on the leather recliner across the room from the two on the loveseat. He didn't acknowledge Sakura's words. His eyes were on Sasuke, cold and dark-rimmed from not enough hours of sleep – kind of like Sakura.

When Sasuke hesitated, Sakura sighed and shifted to all but shove him out of the seat. "Seriously, Sasuke," she said, frustrated, "I can survive without you for a few hours. It's not _healthy _to stay up so long. You've been up since this morning! You need sleep or you're going to totally crash."

Sasuke snorted. "You've been awake longer than me," he reminded her.

"I'm used to it," she said. "I'll sleep in the morning. But you sleep _now_." And with that final word, she succeeded in pushing Sasuke out of his seat to stumble to his feet. He shot her a glare, though the effect was somewhat ruined by the yawn he could barely stifle. Sakura smirked up at him, swinging her legs up on the couch so he couldn't sit back down. "Bed, Sasuke," she said, and, with one last look at Gaara, he walked out of the room and down the hall to the guest room he would soon be sharing with almost half a dozen other people. He might as well enjoy one peaceful night of sleep while he could.

When Sakura heard the door close, she turned back to Gaara.

"So," she said.

Gaara blinked. Sakura fidgeted.

She and Sasuke had arrived over an hour ago. Temari and Kankuro had waited up to greet them, but had shuffled off to bed soon after. Only Gaara had stayed up, as he always did, and only Gaara had stepped right up to her, fingered her choppily-cut locks of hair, and snapped a glare onto Sasuke.

"Naruto called," he had growled, almost too low for them to hear.

"I thought he might," Sakura had replied, stepping back and out of his reach. "I'm okay, you know." She had looked to Sasuke, who was watching the two of them closely. "Really."

"This hasn't happened before," Sasuke had said, and the three of them retreated into the den, leaving their bags in the foyer of the single-story summerhouse where a dozen teenagers would be spending the next two weeks of vacation.

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Sakura had said. Then she asked Gaara to make her some coffee, and that was that. Sasuke had dozed off not long after, and Sakura had polished off her too-sweet coffee. Now she lay back on the couch, head against the armrest, playing with her new spikes of hair. She could feel herself getting drowsy, but didn't dare go to sleep. Not after what had happened.

"So much for my relaxing summer vacation, huh?" she said suddenly, breaking the silence. She could feel Gaara watching her, but didn't turn to meet his gaze. "I thought I'd be able to sleep at night here, maybe. I mean… he's never found me so far from my bed before."

She turned to him now, cheek against the cold leather. "What if he can get me during the day, too? What am I going to _do_, Gaara?"

He was quiet for a moment. Then: "Maybe we can catch him."

Sakura sat up. "Huh?"

"Sleep in my room one night," Gaara said. "And if he comes, we can catch him."

Sakura scoffed and flopped back down. "That's not going to happen. You can't catch him. He'll kill you," she said flatly. "And he'd probably know you were there, anyway. I mean, it seems he doesn't live under my bed, after all. Maybe he lives in my mind. I can't get rid of him."

Gaara didn't reply.

Finally, Sakura sighed. "Can you put a movie on or something? I'm falling asleep."

Gaara got up to put _Die Hard_ on. Sakura liked that movie. Then he disappeared into the kitchen.

Sakura sat up, pulling her knees to her chest, to watch. Her eyes were itching with tiredness – she had been up for more than twenty-four hours, not counting her short nap in the van – but she couldn't sleep. She was too scared to even _consider_ sleeping. She didn't know how she'd manage the next day.

Gaara came back just as the opening credits were finishing. He carried two cups of coffee with him, one of which he handed to Sakura, before taking the seat beside her.

"Don't let me sleep," she said. When he nodded, she added, more forcefully, "I _mean _it, Gaara."

"I won't," he said. "Shut up and watch."

-x-

Temari rolled her eyes when she entered the den the next morning to see Gaara and Sakura slumped on the couch, bags of cookies on the floor in front of them, coffee mugs littering the coffee table, the ending credits for _The Lion King _rolling on the TV screen.

"Why can't the two of you just _sleep _like normal people?" she grumped, leaning over to grab the remote from between Gaara and Sakura and flicking off the TV. "And why were you watching Disney, anyway?"

"It was my turn to choose the movie," Sakura said sleepily. "And I haven't been to a theater in a while. It was that or _Mean Girls_, and Gaara wouldn't let me watch that."

Temari shook her head. "I can barely understand you, Sakura. You really need to get to sleep."

Sakura felt her stomach churn. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she said, shaking her head. She could feel Gaara's eyes on her, but she ignored him. "I just need some coffee." Her stomach grumbled. "And breakfast."

Temari began picking up the empty mugs. Gaara leaned forward to help. "No more coffee for you, Sakura," she said. "For _either _of you. I'll make breakfast, but then you guys have to sleep, really. Okay?"

Sakura knew better than to argue. "Okay," she said.

-x-

Kankuro dropped into the seat beside Sakura with a glass of orange juice in hand.

"Morning!" he greeted cheerily. "Sleep well?"

Sakura lifted her gaze from her breakfast long enough to glare at him.

"I'll take that as a 'no'," he said with a laugh. "I'm hungry. What's for breakfast?"

"Whatever you decide to make," Temari said, coming over with a plate of toast and scrambled eggs for Sasuke, then taking the seat beside him, directly across from Sakura.

"Why?" Kankuro demanded. "You made breakfast for everyone else!"

"Sakura and Sasuke are _guests_," she reminded him. "They're not supposed to work for themselves. Or at least not the first day."

"You're so cute when you're trying to pretend you're a good hostess," Sakura said.

"Well, what about Gaara?" Kankuro said, nodding to the redhead seated at the head of the table with his own plate of eggs, already half-finished. "He lives here!"

Temari shrugged. "I like Gaara better than you," she said nonchalantly, lifting her own juice to her lips to hide her smile.

Kankuro rolled his eyes and got up to throw together a bowl of cereal for himself, grumbling under his breath all the while.

"So," Temari said, ignoring her brother and turning to Sakura, "When are the others coming?"

"They said they'd be here in the afternoon, but come on. It was prom night. They won't even have left by then. You know how Naruto is."

"I can't believe you skipped out on your own prom," Temari said with a shake of her head. "No date?"

She was looking at Sasuke as she spoke, so he replied, "Naruto asked her every day for two weeks. She rejected him every time." When Sakura kicked him under the table, he added, "Not very nicely, either."

"Look who's talking," Temari grumbled into her drink. Sasuke had once rejected her, years back.

Sakura laughed. "Prom is for losers," she said. "Might as well just get a head start on vacation, right?" She had been one of the students to petition to have prom after exams, after all. "Besides, I went last year."

"She got drunk," Sasuke said.

"And I passed out in the limo," Sakura agreed, casting her eyes down to her plate.

Sasuke, lifting a forkful of egg to his lips, paused to stare at her. He didn't remember Sakura falling asleep on prom night. Then again, he hadn't gone – Sakura had been invited along by a friend of hers in the year above them, Lee – but she had never mentioned falling asleep. No wonder she hadn't wanted to go again.

He wondered what had happened that night. When he glanced at Gaara, he knew that the other boy knew.

Sasuke put down his fork and pushed away his plate. "I'll call Naruto," he said, and got up.

Kankuro came back to the table and raised an eyebrow at Sasuke's retreating figure. Then he turned to Sakura. "Are you two going out yet?"

Sakura choked on her juice. "No!" She glanced down the hallway. Sasuke had disappeared into the guest room and shut the door behind him. Still, she lowered her voice. "Would you shut up? He'll get weird. And besides," she added, gesturing to Gaara, "Not in front of him, please."

Temari snorted. "Like he cares. You don't care, do you, Gaara?"

Gaara looked up from the newspaper beside him. "I don't care," he said, and went back to reading.

Temari looked back at Sakura triumphantly. "You see that?"

"I think I'm offended," Sakura said wryly. Then she lifted her plate. "Can I have seconds?"

"No."

Sakura turned to see Sasuke, glowering at her from the entrance.

"But I'm hungry!"

"You're a liar," Sasuke said. "Get up. You're going to bed."

"Wow," Kankuro muttered from beside her, "He doesn't waste time, does he?"

Sakura reddened, but otherwise ignored him. "I'm not tired right now, Sasuke. I'll sleep later."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He knew as well as she did that she was lying.

Temari cut in before he could say as much, however. "He's right, Sakura," she said. "You need some sleep, and better to get it before the others get here. Then we can start the fun stuff. Night-time swim tonight," she added with an impish grin Sakura didn't want to understand.

"But—"

Sasuke appeared by her side then, and began tugging her up by the elbow. Temari chimed in with her encourage for Sakura to not be "such a _brat_," but as Sakura finally succumbed and got to her feet, she saw Gaara aim a vicious glare at Sasuke.

Sasuke seemed to have noticed too, because as soon as he yanked her into the guest room and shut the door behind her, he asked, "What's wrong with Gaara?"

Sakura ignored him. "Don't you realize the kind of impression you're giving off?" When Sasuke looked blank, she gestured impatiently to the closed door. "Locking us together in a _bedroom_?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and pushed her, gently, towards the bunk bed on the right. There were two bunks on opposite sides of the room, bought just for the summer, to accommodate everyone that would be arriving later. Sakura noted that Sasuke was ushering her to the lower bunk, the only one with a bag – _his _bag – sitting on the dark blue comforter and couldn't help her smile.

"Sleep," he said again, pulling his bag off the bed. "Naruto and the others will be here when you wake up, and then we'll talk."

Sakura's shoulders slumped in a sigh. "Sasuke…"

"Sakura, you can't stay up any longer," he said, cutting her off before she could argue further. At her look, he added, "I'll be right here."

"Like you were there last night?" she snapped, then immediately regretted it when Sasuke looked away. Still, she couldn't apologize, not when her stomach was in knots and all she wanted to do was run far, far away from that room and that oh-so-inviting bed. She couldn't sleep. Not yet.

"I won't leave this time," Sasuke said carefully. "But you have to sleep. You can barely stand up straight."

Too late, Sakura realized she was swaying, and she collapsed back onto the bed, pulse racing. She drew her feet up off the floor with a jerk, as if she could already feel hands grasping at her ankles…

Sasuke dropped down to sit on the floor by the bed.

"I'm right here," he said.

Sakura lay down. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

-x-

Sasuke watched as Sakura's expression smoothed of any wrinkles and her breathing fell into a rhythmic pattern. Then he turned and leaned back against the bed, thinking.

Sakura couldn't live with this fear; no one could. She had always taken her naps during the day – he had come across her more than once in the library, the nurse's office, or under a tree behind the school, dozing and completely at peace. If he was honest, he usually went looking for her.

There was a light knock at the door; a moment later, Gaara had slipped in. He took one look at Sakura, then continued into the room to sit beside Sasuke, barely making a sound.

"What," Sasuke said.

"She's scared," Gaara said.

_No shit_, Sasuke wanted to say, but didn't. Instead he stayed silent, waiting for Gaara to continue. He was the only one other than him and Naruto who knew anything about Sakura's situation, after all.

"Last year, when she went to prom, he attacked," Gaara finally said. "Three horizontal cuts on each arm. Shoulder, forearm, and wrist, just above the vein."

Sasuke kept his expression carefully neutral. He had never heard about this before. He had thought Sakura had never been attacked at night, not away from her own bed.

_She got drunk_, he had said earlier. It had been the one and only time Sakura had so much as touched alcohol.

After a moment, Gaara stood up and walked out, leaving Sasuke to his thoughts.

-x-

When Sakura woke up, blinking blearily, it took her a moment to realize three things: one, Sasuke was still on the floor beside her bed; two, he was talking to Naruto, who bounced up to his feet the moment he saw she was awake; and three, she hadn't had a nightmare. She hadn't dreamed at all.

Sakura sat up, rubbing at her eyes, and looked around, as if expecting her monster to jump out at her from a corner. Nothing was there. Had the night before been a fluke?

"Sakura-chan!"

"Hi Naruto," she said, reaching up to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. It barely reached past her forehead. Her hair was still short. So the attack _had _happened. She had been hoping maybe she dreamt it.

Naruto pulled her into his arms, whispering soothing words. Sakura patted his back absently, looking over his shoulder to see Sasuke, already on his feet, staring down at them. He looked vaguely amused.

"I'm okay, Naruto," Sakura said, pulling away. "When did you guys get here?"

"Uh… an hour ago?"

"What?! How long was I asleep?" Without waiting for a reply, Sakura leaned over to grab her purse, lying along with her suitcase at the foot of the bed, and rooted around inside for her cell phone. "Six thirty? I was asleep for _eight hours!_"

"You were _tired_, Sakura-chan," Naruto began, but Sakura was already sliding off the bed.

"You idiots, what if the sun had set before I woke up?" Sakura snapped, already headed for the door. "I can't _risk that _right now—"

"We were right here, Sakura-chan," Naruto said. "The whole time…"

"But you wouldn't have woken me up, right?" Sakura cursed. "Dammit, you guys, why don't you understand—"

"Sakura," Sasuke cut in, "Calm down. Nothing happened."

"But something _could have_, Sasuke-kun, and _you _wouldn't have been able to stop him—" Sakura suddenly broke off and clamped her jaw shut.

"Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry. I panicked," she said in a small voice. She wouldn't meet their eyes. "C'mon, let's go…"

She turned on her heel and stalked to the door, movements stiff. Sasuke watched her go, then turned to Naruto.

"Something's not right with her," Naruto said, before Sasuke could even his mouth. "I'll talk to her later. Just… let it go for now. We're all too strung out. Okay?"

Sasuke nodded. Then he and Naruto followed Sakura out the door to greet everyone else.

-x-

Neji and Hinata were staying at their own summerhouse, along with Neji's girlfriend Tenten. Lee had turned down their invitation to stay along with Naruto, Sasuke, and Kiba in the guest room. Gaara gave his room up – grudgingly – to Shikamaru and Chouji, Kankuro offered to share with (and was turned down by) Shino, who also bunked with Shikamaru and Chouji. Ino shared Temari's room, and Sakura and Gaara, of course, retired to the den to stay up at night. It was a tight fit.

"Too bad we couldn't use your summer house," Temari said to Sakura, over dinner. They were all crowded into the den, eating homemade pizza. The original plan had been to eat outside, down on the beach, but a sudden summer storm had ruined those plans, as well as the plan for a midnight swim.

"Sakura-chan has a summer house?" Naruto asked, wiping at his mouth with his hand. "Where?"

"Next door," Sakura said. "My dad wouldn't let me use it alone. I think he thought I would take random guys up to it."

"Not random guys," Kiba said," reaching past Sakura for his can of Pepsi, sitting on the coffee table. He was sitting on the couch behind where Sakura sat on the floor, beside Ino. "Just Sasuke."

Sasuke smacked him upside the head for that.

"It was probably because of Gaara," Ino said. Then she snorted. "Like your dad had any reason to worry."

Sasuke glanced at Gaara. He was ignoring the conversation, focused wholly on his meal.

"Gaara?" Kiba echoed.

"We dated," Sakura said around a mouthful of crust. "Briefly. _Very _briefly," she added, with a quick glance at Sasuke. "Two summers ago."

"Whatever, they weren't even cute," Temari said, getting to her feet and heading for the kitchen. "Anyone want anything?"

"Coke!" Sakura sang.

"This is why you can never sleep at night," Tenten informed her. "Too much caffeine."

"I just thrive in the dark," Sakura said matter-of-factly. Kiba was the only one to laugh, and she turned to toss him a playfully saucy wink.

Sasuke shook his head at them and turned back to his plate – but not before noticing, out of the corner of his eye, Gaara watching him. That was getting kind of annoying.

-x-

Later that night – much later – found Gaara and Sakura in the den once again, on the floor, this time with a deck of cards in between them.

"Did you sleep at all today?" Sakura asked. "And do you have any fives?"

"Go Fish," Gaara said. When Sakura picked up a card from the pile between them and cursed, he went on, "No. I'm not tired."

"You always sleep even less than me," Sakura said with a wry smile.

Gaara shrugged and set down his cards. The game was boring, anyway. "Did you sleep well?"

"Did you hear any screaming?" Sakura set her cards down as well and leaned back against the couch with a sigh. "Were you worried about me?" she asked, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"No," Gaara said.

Sakura made a face at him. "Thanks for caring. I don't know, maybe last night was because I was so tired. Maybe I was just more on my guard today." She shrugged, grinning now. "Or maybe it was Sasuke. He never left my side, you know."

Gaara rolled his eyes at her reddening cheeks. This was why he had been all too willing to break it off with her. Even when they were "dating", all she ever thought about was him.

It was only ever _him_.

* * *

I know how it looks right now, but this is _not _turning into a Sasuke x Sakura x Gaara love triangle. I'm not really fond of those.

Anyway, _so _sorry for the horrifically late update. I posted, got a _fantastic _response (seriously, I was expecting maybe a quarter of the reviews I actually got), and then I totally freaked, knowing the next chapter would be a letdown. But it's even worse to not update for so, _so _long, right? I suck. I'm sorry. Anyway, a few things: I have no idea what _A Nightmare on Elm Street _is about, so hopefully this story won't be too much like it; I actually got nightmares after writing the first chapter, how sad is that?; and I'm actually going on a hiatus after this chapter so, wow, I _really _suck. So much for being a writing machine, huh?

This chapter isn't as exciting, I know, because I don't want to leave you guys with a cliffhanger for two months, but the next chapter, I assure you, is much more interesting. This chapter lays a lot of the framework for further chapters, though, so it _is _important. But anyway.

**Disclaimer: **I own none of the movies mentioned, nor do I own Pepsi. Okay, that was the most worthless disclaimer ever.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the wait – again. Next chapter will totally be sooner this time. And I know I say that a lot, but don't be afraid to PM me if you feel I'm taking too long. Really; I don't bite.

**Sinless  
**_Chapter Three_

Sakura rubbed her eyes as the first rays of sunlight entered through the glass doors leading to the back deck. Gaara was still in the den, and she was getting them both some breakfast.

She yawned widely, and blinked at her distorted reflection in the toaster. As always, the sight of her new hairstyle sent a shudder rippling through her. But she didn't want to think about it now – that was in the past, and she had already seen that the attack was just a fluke. It wouldn't – _couldn't _– happen again.

She spread cream cheese on two freshly toasted bagels and took them out to the den. "Get drinks," she told Gaara. When he didn't move, she snapped, "_I'm _the guest. Don't be so lazy."

"I'm not thirsty," he said.

Annoying. "Well, _I _am," Sakura said. When Gaara ignored her, she rolled her eyes and dropped down onto the couch beside him with a huff. "Fine. If I get dehydrated, it's on _your _conscience."

"I don't have one," he said, taking his plate from her and digging in. Sakura scowled. "You look tired."

She blinked. "I'm not." But even as she denied it, she felt another yawn coming on. "Maybe a little. Weird. I don't usually get tired until the afternoon. I guess my sleeping schedule got messed up."

"Yeah," Gaara said, fixing her with a gaze she couldn't read.

Sakura shifted, uncomfortable. She hated that look but, at the same time, she didn't want to ask what it meant. Instead, she took a bite of her bagel.

"Ugh." Sakura looked up; Ino was standing in the doorway, hair a tangle, too-large pajamas falling off her frame. She yawned, hiking up her pants so she wouldn't trip on them, and came over to drop onto the floor in front of Sakura and Gaara. "Why are you up so _early?_"

"Why are _you?"_

"I had to pee," Ino said, yawning again. "How do you stay up all night?"

"Lots of practice," Sakura said, offering Ino half her bagel.

She shook her head. "I'm on a diet."

"You don't need to be," Sakura snorted, pushing her bagel at Ino. She finally took it, smiling a little.

"Hi, Gaara," Ino said pointedly. Gaara finally looked up, offered a short nod, and went back to his breakfast. Ino laughed.

"He's shy," Sakura said. "So, how was prom?"

"Prom was prom," Ino said.

"Did Shikamaru dance with you at all?"

"Like once." Ino rolled her eyes, then brightened. "Naruto kissed Hinata! On the cheek, but still. It was cute."

"Wow. Go Naruto," Sakura said, thinking of Hinata. The usually shy girl had sounded so happy the day before. Now she knew why.

"I know. I wish you had been there. It wasn't the same without you," Ino said, a sad smile tugging at her lips. "But I should get used to it…"

"Stop right there, Ino," Sakura said. "Goodbyes at the end of the summer, remember? And you'll have Kiba and Naruto. They're fun."

"And _you'll _have Sasuke," Ino said. "What about you, Gaara?"

"I'm going to Oto."

"Oh, cool, you'll be with them! Make sure to send me all the juicy details about them, okay?"

Gaara just looked at her. Then, without a word, returned to his breakfast.

Ino sputtered, looking offended. Sakura bit back a laugh. "Ignore him. So? What else?"

"Hm… oh! I made Prom Queen! I brought my crown with me."

"You _would. _Who was Prom King?"

"You'll never believe it," Ino said, brushing crumbs from her lap.

"Let me take a wild guess," Sakura said, propping her chin in one hand, elbow on the armrest. "Naruto."

"How'd you know?!" Sakura only smiled, and Ino added, "Naruto texted you, didn't he?"

"Maybe."

"What a _dork."_ Ino shook her head, sending long blonde locks flying. "Anyway. What are we doing today?"

"Stuff."

"Thanks." Ino stood up, stretching her arms high above her head. "I'm gonna go shower now. You should, uh, get to bed." She snapped a firm glare on Sakura. "_Now_. You can take my bed. Okay?"

"Okay, _Mom_." Sakura grinned up at Ino. For all her apparent shallowness, Ino was the _best _friend Sakura had ever had. Even without knowing why Sakura never slept at night, Ino never pressed her, only looked out for her. So many times had Ino covered for Sakura while she skipped class to sleep, so many times had she endured phone calls at three in the morning when Sakura was beginning to doze off, so many coffees had she bought her… Sakura owed her so much.

She yawned again once Ino had left, and Gaara looked at her. "Go to sleep."

"I will if you will," she said.

"Okay." He stood up, setting his plate down on the coffee table. He was trying to hide it, but his eyes were drooping closed.

Sakura laughed. "Gaara, if you're tired, just say so! You didn't have to stay up with me all night, you know."

Gaara shrugged and took her plate from her, setting it on top of his. "Like you said. You're a guest. I should host you."

Sakura tried to smother a laugh and failed. Gaara glared at her. She stood up, and the two of them walked back down the hall towards the bedrooms.

"Sakura."

Sakura looked up and broke into a great, beaming grin. "Sasuke! Morning!"

"Going to bed?" Sasuke asked, as Gaara slipped away towards his own room. "You can borrow my bed."

"It's okay; Naruto snores."

"I'll wake him up," Sasuke said, opening the door to the guest room. "Come on."

Sakura followed; she didn't really want to sleep in Temari's room, anyway. Much as she liked her, Sakura would much rather be with people she knew so well. If it wasn't in a room with Naruto and Sasuke, she would like to stay with Gaara, or Ino. There was more comfort there.

She dropped into Sasuke's freshly-made bed, not bothering to pull back the covers. It was hot, anyway. In the lower bunk across the room, Lee was just beginning to wake up. He saw Sakura settling down into bed and smiled, mouthing a _Good morning _to her. She smiled back, thankful that Lee was smart enough to not be loud early in the morning. Now she only had to worry about Naruto and Kiba, and Sasuke was already poking the former, in the bunk above his, to wake up and "be quiet, idiot."

It was only eight in the morning. Kiba, at least, wouldn't be up until noon. Sakura had four hours of peace. She closed her eyes, and soon fell into blissful slumber.

-x-

"_Sakura…"_

_Sakura scanned the fields surrounding her, cast her eyes up to the candy-pink sky, and shifted her grip on her magic wand. Her pulse began to race. This wasn't real, and she was asleep._

_With that realization came panic. _Wake up, Sakura,_ she thought frantically, _you have to wake up!!

_The sky turned black._

_A fierce wind kicked up, tugging at the hem of her magician's robes and knocking the wand right out of her hand, leaving her defenseless. Sakura took a step back, the grass from her nightmare field snagging at her bare ankles and winding up around her calves. She began to shake, and opened her mouth to cry out._

"_A-ah…"_

"Sshhh…"

_There was the barest touch on her shoulder, and Sakura jumped. She heard a soft, familiar laugh, and spun around, bringing her hands up to defend herself—_

"_It's okay. It's just me."_

_Sakura felt hands on her fists, and then her arms dropped to her sides, and she was left facing—herself._

"_You're me," she said._

"_And you're _me_," said her other self. "Just the outer me."_

_Lightning – blood-red and angry – crackled above, and Sakura jumped again. She had nearly forgotten the nightmare._

"_He's coming," she whispered._

"_I know," said the other Sakura. "Don't worry. I'll stop him."_

_With a smile – familiar, and, at the same time, stronger than any Sakura had ever given in her eight years – the other Sakura – Inner Sakura – turned and ran._

_Sakura slept easy that night._

-x-

Sakura awoke with a start, eyes snapping open and blinking in the semi-darkness. The door was closed, a shaft of light from the hall spilling in through the crack in the bottom. She could hear voices, laughter.

"You awake?"

Sakura turned her head, not entirely surprised to see Sasuke sitting on the floor by the foot of her bed. He had his laptop open in front of him. The sight of him made Sakura's stomach twist, and an unfamiliar frustration choke her. She sat up quickly, nearly banging her head against the bottom of the upper bunk and stared, eyes wide.

Sasuke returned her stare with a steady, even gaze of his own, shutting his laptop slowly. "What is it?"

Sakura shook her head, banishing all negative feelings. "Nothing." She smiled, pulse thrumming irregularly. That had been weird. Too weird. "What time is it?"

"One. Everyone else is eating breakfast."

Sakura laughed. "And I thought _I _had a messed-up schedule. Did you eat?"

"Yes," Sasuke said, just as his stomach growled. Sakura raised an eyebrow, and he said, not looking at her, "I wasn't hungry."

Sakura felt her cheeks warm. Sasuke could be sweet, really sweet, when he wanted to.

"Well, let's go eat now. I'm hungry again," Sakura said, slipping off the bed and heading towards the door. Sasuke was a step behind her. She stopped at the door, hand on the knob, and closed her eyes for a moment, feeling a certain black ugliness creeping in the shadows of her mind.

"Sakura?"

She opened her eyes, flashed Sasuke a reassuring smile over her shoulder, and opened the door.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Sakura!"

"Finally!"

"Hi, hi, okay, I know you missed me…" Sakura said, coming up behind Ino. She sat at the head of the table; Naruto, Kiba, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Shino had the other seats. Temari leaned against the back of Shikamaru's chair, criticizing his hairstyle, and Chouji was rooting around in the fridge.

"Hi, babycakes," Ino said, offering Sakura her half-finished plate. "Hungry?"

"Starved," Sakura said. "Kiba, move, let me sit."

"No."

Sakura scowled, pulled Kiba's chair back ("Hey!"), and sat down beside him, shoving him to the side.

"Guys don't like pushy girls," Kiba told her, glancing pointedly at Sasuke.

"Your _mom _doesn't like pushy girls."

"…That was _so stupid_."

Meanwhile, Shino was standing up to clear a seat for Sasuke. He took it with a nod of gratitude, and Temari brought him a plate.

"So what are we doing today?" Sakura asked Ino, sitting beside her.

Ino chewed on a piece of toast. "I dunno," she said finally. "Lee went running this morning and ended up at Neji's place. He called earlier and said they'd drop by after lunch so we could go out." She brightened. "Let's go canoeing!"

"As long as I'm not in _your _boat, sure."

Ino frowned. "What's wrong with me?" When Sakura didn't answer, she demanded, again, of the table: "What's wrong with me?"

"A lot," Chouji said with a grin. "It's okay, Ino. _I'll _go with you."

"Chouji's my new best friend," Ino told Sakura.

"Poor Chouji," she replied.

-x-

"How did you sleep?" Gaara asked Sakura when they stepped out into bright afternoon sun.

She squinted longingly at the beach in the distance. "Fine. You don't need to keep asking me." She ignored the pang in her gut, the roiling anger deep within her heart.

"Was Sasuke with you?"

"Yeah."

"The whole time?"

This time, more sharply: "_Yeah_." She half-turned to glare at Gaara, one fist propped on her hip. They stood eye-to-eye, and staring into his jade eyes was much like staring into her own reflection's, or that of—

Sakura took a breath. She hadn't dreamt of Inner Sakura in a while. Though, of course, she couldn't help her anymore. She hadn't been able to for a long time.

"Why do you sound so suspicious, Gaara? God."

"Whenever Sasuke's around, you don't get attacked. The minute he leaves your side, _he _shows up? How can I not be suspicious?"

Sakura stared at him, then laughed once: short, humorless, disbelieving. "What, you think Sasuke is my _monster _or something? Come _on_, Gaara. It's a fluke."

"Whenever you lose track of him, you get attacked," Gaara went on stubbornly.

The others were beginning to file out of the beach house now and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Naruto heading for them. Sakura glared at Gaara. "Maybe you're just _jealous_."

Gaara's gaze darkened with irritation. "Or maybe I'm _right_. I don't trust him—"

"Hey guys! Who don't you trust?" Naruto looked from Gaara to Sakura and back, and his bright grin faltered. "Uh, am I interrupting something? Sakura?" he added when neither replied, shooting her a worried look.

She waved it off. "I'm fine, Naruto. You deal with him – I can't." With one last scowl at Gaara, she turned back to her friends. She met Sasuke's gaze and felt something in her warm. With a smile, she made a beeline for him.

Something inside Sakura snapped and twanged, a tightly strung band of anger and impatience. She faltered, then shook it off, repasting her smile on her face before Sasuke could notice.

-x-

For Sakura, the day passed much too quickly. She had enjoyed her time with her friends, fully living up her last summer before university separated them. As the sun began to set and the mosquitoes came out, Sakura picked at the remains of their barbecue dinner and wished for the moment to never end.

"So what now?" Tenten asked. "Not sleep yet, I hope."

"Duh. Midnight swim time!"

"But it's not midnight yet."

"In some part of the world, I'm sure it is."

Sakura smiled at the people around her, leaning back in her chair and tipping her head back. Purples, pinks, and reds splashed across the sky, and she closed her eyes.

Satisfaction – satisfaction that wasn't her own – flashed within her, and Sakura's eyes snapped back open. She stared around her, eyes wide. Nothing.

"Sakura?" She turned to see Ino peering at her. "Are you okay?"

Sakura shook off her sudden, irrational panic. She was safe. It was okay. "I'm fine. What's up?"

Ino beamed. "I have a surprise for you! Hinata, get the goods!"

"Get the—Ino, who even talks like that?"

"Shush!" Hinata appeared at Ino's side, holding out a duffel back and wearing a secretive smile. "Okay, so they got wrinkled, but I didn't want you to see—" Ino unzipped the beg and, with a rustle, pulled out a green, satin—

"Oh my _God_."

"We brought ours, too!" Ino said excitedly, pulling out more dresses. "I thought, why not end their time right? We'll go swimming in them!"

"Are you _insane?_ Sakura asked, gaping down at the prom dress Ino held. She still remembered her prom night. It had been terrible.

"No. Are you?" When Sakura scowled at her, Ino said, "Oh, come _on_, Sakura. We can't wear them _again_ – they're prom dresses; they stay at prom. So why not ruin them _properly?_ The others agree with me," she added when Sakura didn't reply, and she shifted her gaze to Hinata, who nodded eagerly.

"It'll be fun," Tenten said, a gleam in her eye that Sakura both knew and feared.

"I found my old prom dress just for this," Temari said. "After this, I will _watch it burn_."

"That's a waste of money," Neji said with a frown.

"Yeah!" Sakura said.

Ino snorted. "Whatever, you got your dress dirt-cheap two years ago. Don't _even_."

Sakura exhaled soundly, ruffling her bangs. "Fine. Whatever," she said, pushing back her chair and getting to her feet. "Now?"

Ino clapped her hands. Sakura shook her head at herself. If anyone else had suggested such insanity to her, she would have ignored it.

She disappeared into the bathroom to change. When she was dressed, she eyed herself critically in the mirror. The dress was nice enough, but the memories it held—Sakura didn't want to think about it. With a sigh, Sakura ran her fingers through her hair; no sense in dolling herself up when she was just going swimming.

Sakura opened the door. Ino was already waiting, tiara and all, and Sakura followed her out onto the deck. Kiba whistled when he saw them, and Sakura felt her cheeks warm. This was _such _a stupid idea.

"You look beautiful, Sakura-chan," Naruto assured her as they walked down to the beech. Sakura was barefoot, swinging her sandals around one wrist and holding her skirt up off the sandy ground with the other hand. "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried, just embarrassed." Sakura shrugged, trying to make herself even smaller so no one would see. "People keep looking at me."

"Nah, I think most of them are looking at Ino," Naruto said. Sakura followed his gaze to where Ino was bounding along ahead of them in her black, full-skirted prom dress, Her tiara glinted off her white-blonde hair in the moonlight. She positively _glittered._

"Wrong thing to say, idiot," Sasuke said, shuffling along on Sakura's other side, hands in his pockets. Sakura laughed.

"Why do you look so _depressed_, Sasuke-kun? You're on a beach! _Smile!"_

Sasuke ignored her.

"Emo is his default, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, kicking off his sandals. "Race you to the water?" Without waiting for her to accept, he took off, kicking up sand. With another laugh, Sakura raced after him, and soon she could see Sasuke out of the corner of her eye, following, then overtaking them both. Sasuke was always competitive.

Sakura fell into the water, giggling so hard her stomach was starting to ache. Kankuro was splashing Tenten, who in turn shoved Chouji headfirst into the water. Sakura followed, wading out deeper. Her clothes were clinging to her horribly, people were staring, and some small part of her was horrified at what she was doing, but she loved every moment of it.

She let waves crash over her, and dunked her head underwater, submerging herself. She splashed Gaara and Sasuke, and they glared. Neji was the only one to strip down to swimming trunks, and Ino mocked him for it. Lee swam laps around the group until Naruto leapt, clumsily, onto his back, nearly drowning them both. The moonlight shone down on them, and Sakura's voice grew hoarse from laughter.

"Am I good, or am I good?" Ino asked after nearly two hours, as the group straggled back up the beach.

"You're good," Sakura said, breathing hard. "_Very _good. I'm never getting rid of this dress."

"Wanna have a slumber party in them now?" Ino asked excitedly.

Sakura made a face. "No, thank you. I'm cold."

"Pansy."

"Piggy."

Ino laughed and took Sakura's hand in hers. "You look like hell."

Sakura stifled a yawn. "Just a little worn-out."

"Why don't you sleep tonight, for once? I think you need it."

Sakura was about to refuse. Then: "Okay. I think I need it." She would only nap for an hour. Nothing would happen. She was sure of it.

Temari set up another bed on the floor of her room for Sakura while she took a hot shower. When she remerged from the bathroom, yawning, it was to find Sasuke waiting for her.

"Hi there. Sorry, did I take long?"

Sasuke ignored her. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked as she stepped out, following her down the hall to Temari's room.

"Of course!" Sakura felt oddly sure of herself. She just _knew _it would be okay. "I'll be _fine_. You worry too much, Sasuke-kun."

"Sakura…" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, searching for words. "You've been… weird. Today."

She frowned up at him, tucking a lock of wet hair behind one ear. Sasuke could see a small silver hoop in her cartilage; her only piece of jewelry. "Thanks a lot. You sure know how to charm a girl."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. Sakura didn't even look embarrassed, so he brushed it off. "You know what I mean. Is—is something bothering you? You can tell me. Or Naruto…" He trailed off, thinking of Sakura's prom night. Why hadn't she told him? He didn't want to admit it, but it was bothering him.

Shino passed by on the way to the bathroom, and Sakura bade him a cheerful good night. Then she turned back to Sasuke, and fond exasperation made her scrunch up her nose and furrow her eyebrows. "Seriously, Sasuke. I'm fine. Totally fine." She bit her lip and dropped her gaze. "Um, maybe a little tired still. That's why I need sleep. Just this one night. Okay?"

"Sakura—"

"Good _night_, Sasuke."

She disappeared into the bedroom, closing the door behind her and leaving Sasuke out, alone, in the hall. He stared at the closed door, worry tightening his eyes and the corners of his mouth. Somehow, something felt off.

Maybe it was his turn to stay up all night.

-x-

_For three weeks, Sakura had been able to sleep at night. She was so thankful._

_And yet, there was a rising frustration in the depths of her heart, a frustration she didn't understand and couldn't quite place. She shook it off, settling down in her bed for a good night's sleep. She pulled the comforter up to her chin and snuggled deeper into her pillow – she no longer slept with stuffed animals. She hadn't for a long time._

_With a sigh, Sakura closed her eyes and fell into blissful slumber, knowing that Inner Sakura – as she had dubbed her – would be there, guarding her, when she landed back in her dreams. Her five-year nightmare was over. She could sleep again. She hadn't been able to since she moved into her own bedroom at night, away from her parents._

_Sure enough, when Sakura blinked her eyes open, she was sitting on the swings in a park, barefoot, toes sinking into the sand, and Inner Sakura was sitting at the top of the slide._

_Sakura called out to her, but her inner self (dream self? imaginary self?) didn't seem to hear. With a shrug, Sakura began to swing, going higher and higher, until the star-sprinkled night sky was close enough to touch. She jumped, arms out, fingers skimming the ice-cold sparkling globes of light, then landed, catlike, in the sand._

"_Sakura!" Sakura called out, a grin twisting her lips. It was weird to call her by their shared name. She scrambled up the ladder to the top of the slide and came to kneel behind her other self, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Hey, Sakura—"_

_Sakura's light poke sent Inner Sakura's torso wobbling forward, and Sakura, alarmed, reached out to catch her by the collar. She pulled the body back—_

—_and the head toppled off, rolling onto the metal of the slide and all the way down, leaving a trail of blood as it went._

_For a moment, Sakura stared down blankly at the wide-eyed face of Inner Sakura – of _herself_ – before reality sunk in and she started screaming._

_She let go of the body as if scalded, and, unsupported, it fell back onto her. Shrieking with white-hot terror unlike any she had ever known, Sakura pushed the body away and scrambled backward, nearly toppling off the edge before some sense slammed back into her and she was able to gather her wits enough to climb back down the ladder to the sand below—_

_She set one foot down, shuddered at the strange _squelch _under her toes, and looked down._

_The sand was a moving, oozing, semi-liquid red—something, something that burned her and pulled at her and oh, God, it moaned and shrieked and she could hear Inner Sakura's, or maybe her own, screams in her ears and there was laughter, low, evil laughter that chilled her to the bone._

_It was never going to end._

_Never._

-x-

Sakura woke up and knew something was wrong, on instinct. That was a split-second before she smelled the blood.

She sat up, and felt her hands run over something sticky and liquid and terrifying. Before she could tell herself she didn't want to, Sakura turned her head.

Nearly glowing in the semi-darkness was Ino, covered in cuts and bruises and lying, unconscious, , hair streaming around her face like a halo, in a puddle of her own thick, dark blood.

Sakura opened her mouth.

And _screamed._


End file.
